Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Hello to all!
I know I've been MIA on the blog front, but I don't feel guilty. It happens as a blogger. You start a blog, and blog everyday for a few months. Once the excitement slows down, you get distracted, and writers block invades your mind. All of which is very true for me.
Since I've been away one very major detail in my life has changed...I got married...tied the knot...jumped the broom...got hitched... This all happened in 53 days! Yes, you're reading this correctly. I planned a wedding with about 65 people in attendance in just 53 days!

On November 27, 2015 I became Mrs. Hernandez!

Let me start from the beginning...my fiance (husband now) and I had just come back from visiting his family in Massachusetts. In a matter of a few days we decided to get married. Just like that! Then 53 days later I found myself walking down the aisle. It literally feels like a huge dream. It's no joke...the days really do fly by! Well here I am weeks later finally getting around to making the post! I'm a married woman!

Above I have a picture of where the ceremony took place. My husband and I were very fortunate to have a friend lend us his backyard. Yes this beautiful backyard belongs to our friend. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful place than his backyard. We also rented a gorgeous tent, with all the fixings...tables, chairs, bar, dance floor, etc. for our reception.

Basically, I put my DIY cap on and DIYed the hell out of my wedding...lol For a last minute wedding, it was beautiful. Here are a few pictures of the table settings. My wedding colors were Navy blue, blush pink, and gold. I didn't want to go gold crazy, so I put it in little details. I really wanted the Navy Blue and blush pink take the lead. The gold glitter just made it a little more romantic.

That's all I have for now. Stay tuned because I have so many pictures, and DIY projects I wanted to share with you guys. Until next time...

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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Today, I wanted to talk a little about kindness. It's something that we all learn at a young age. You remember when it came to being nice to your sibling(s), sharing with friends, and keeping comments to yourself. My parents wore out these phrases when I was growing up... "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Or "Treat others the way you would like to be treated." and "You catch more bees with honey." I grew up knowing exactly what it meant to be nice to others. The reason why I'm writing this post, is because lately I've been practicing being kind, and I've seen the effects it has. Recently I've been in different situations where it would be understandable if I got very upset, and forgot all about being kind. 1. My next door neighbors...they haven't been the best or even friendliest neighbors. Their kids are always running around breaking windows (yes our window), or scratching our cars, and our guests cars with balls, bikes, etc. It hasn't been easy. Well along with all that, they're so noisy! I hear them screaming from the top of their lungs at ALL hours (yes, all hours of the day)! Let's get back to being kind.I was in my office working, and all I could hear were these loud booms, and a kid screaming numbers loudly (veins popping out loudly). It was around #16, that I reached my limit. Granted, I've never really had a conversation with my neighbors, because well...they're not really inviting and they're just annoying. I walked out, and starting walking up their garage to find a bunch of boys around a weight bench. (lol) They were doing weights? (I don't know if that's the proper way to put it) Surprisingly, I put a smile on my face, and said hi in the friendliest tone possible. I nicely explained that I had been working, and that I was distracted by the noise. I asked nicely if they could keep it down. Just as simple as that. The kids apologized, and I left saying my please and thank you's. I haven't heard a peep since :D2. Just the other day...Gil (my fiance) and I stopped into KFC because we were hungry and it was late. When we ordered the food, the guy taking our order in the drive thru was not very nice. He was being a jack____ (fill in the blank). I know not to make any fast food worker upset, so we were kind. We asked for fresh chicken, he insisted it was fresh. Upon getting the chicken I noticed it wasn't all that fresh. So we kindly asked again for fresh chicken. The KFC guy again wasn't very nice, and told us it would be a five minute wait. Well fifteen minutes later, waiting in our car I got upset. I told Gil I was going to go in to get hot sauce. I wanted to make sure to fix this situation before both of us got upset. I waited at the counter for a while before anyone noticed. Finally I got the attention of the same guy that was taking care of us in the drive thru. I thought I was going to rip off his head, but I thought for a second. He must have been having a really bad day. Not every customer is kind like Gil and I. So I cut him some slack, because the look on his face told me I was exactly right. So I smiled, and asked him for some hot sauce, and asked him about our order. I talked to him like he was a human being, like he was my best friend. He immediately apologized and got to work on it. This guy was so upset at himself, I felt bad for him. He quickly handed me cookies, and my favorite chocolate chip cake as a way to make it up to us. I waited another ten minutes, but I waited with a smile. Rather than throwing a fit, and ruining both of our days, kindness worked best. It again proved to me that it's better to be kind.

3. Here's where I keep it even more real...I've been in disagreement with a certain family member in my life for about two months, but if I'm being honest it's been way longer. When I say a disagreement, I mean we seem to not be on the same page of kindness ever. The _____ hit the fan two months ago, and I got hurt for the umpteenth time. My very first reaction was to get angry and argue but I decided to do the best thing possible for the both of us. I let this family member go. No matter how much I love this person, I love myself more. When someone consistently treats you poorly, they secretly hate themselves for being so negative, even more when you're too nice a person. I felt like the kindest thing to do was let it go, along with any relationship we might have had. It wasn't, and hasn't been easy. By removing myself from our relationship and their negative actions, I feel like I am doing both of us an act of kindness. Not everyone knows how to be kind, or what it means. Maybe now this certain family member will be happier, at least that's my hope and wish.Well I hope I proved that being kind is well worth it. I will leave you with these sayings..."You catch more bees with honey." "Treat others the way you'd like to be treated." "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Do you have a story about how kindness changed a situation for you? I want to hear about it, so don't be shy. Leave me the story in my comments, or my email.

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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Hey y'all, I hope everyone's enjoying their Tuesday. As you might know, I live in Florida, which means its hella hot outside. I literally try to avoid any contact with the great outdoors for the next three months. Some days the humidity smacks you in the face, and others the rain wipes out any cute hair do's made. However Florida does have some great weather moments. When all humidity, heat, and rain are gone, you have a beautiful thirty minutes, before it all comes back. If you live in Florida then you know exactly what I mean.

For some odd reason, the weekends have the worst weather. Especially when you plan a beautiful summer BBQ, and you tell all your friends and family to come over, only to get wiped out by the rain. We usually never know how long the rain lasts, but it usually stops when you're done grilling all the food in the rain, soaked and wet. Ironically the sun comes out, and shines brighter than ever. Haha!

The weather is such a "great adventure" in the summer for Florida. That's why I thought I'd make a summer with boohoo post. No need to give into the weather, when you can still look cute right? These are my favorite summer essentials. This is my go-to casual look for the everyday. You might notice, I added my favorite necessities...sandals by Tory Burch which sell themselves, I mean who am I kidding. Good luck getting a pair of these below $100. Then there's Rebecca Minkoff handbag, she seems to be the new IT designer these days. The links at the bottom should take you straight to the product.

In other news...I've been participating in the June photo challenge on Instagram since last week! To see my photos, head over to my Instagram (@sleeplessdiybride_blog or go down to my signature at the end of this post, that's where one of my instagram icons are located...or go to my the top of my page where all my social media icons are located). Oh and don't forget to follow. (hashtag #bloggersgetsocial.)
Here is one photo I took, for Sunday...my sunglasses :)

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Friday, May 29, 2015

Welcome to my big fat blended family!! LOL Last year I made a post called My Big Fat Blended Family, in which I talked about my process with my blended family. Like I said before, it wasn't easy, but given love, time, and patience we conquered it.

Well this time, I wanted to do something fun, and share exactly what it's like to be apart of a blended family in the daughter/sister/son/brother point a view, but told by Minions!!

1. Watching Movies with your blended family: The funny parts are much funnier.

2. No matter what you always have a place to sit and never share your popcorn. lol

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing great on this amazing Thursday afternoon. I live in Florida, and the weather outside is just gorgeous today. Well, before we say goodbye to spring here in Florida I thought I'd do a little post about one of my favorite designer brand!! I love Gigi New York, I don't know how many times I've said it, but it's a brand I truly believe in. They have the best quality leather I have ever seen in cute, sophisticated designs.

They released their spring collection, and I'm really excited to share my favorites with my readers. These accessories are an amazing gift, for a spring wedding. The All in One Clutch is a great gift for your bridesmaids. The best part is that you can customize all of these accessories with initials. The spring collection features vibrant colors, in the pebble grain, and embossed python leathers. I really love the softer colors like the Taupe and Ivory, because they go with just about everything in my wardrobe.

Lucky for all my readers, Gigi New York is offering my readers 15% off now through May 31st. Just use the coupon code exclusive15. Happy shopping.

I would love to hear which Gigi New York spring collection piece is on your wish list!

Fine Print

*Sleepless in DIY Bride Countryis part of Gigi New York/ Graphic Image affiliate advertising program. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter), I may make a related commission from that click and/or purchase. All opinions in this post are my own.

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Friday, May 15, 2015

Hello there!!Today, I'm celebrating my 2nd year of being the author of Sleepless in DIY Bride Country!! I honestly can't believe it's been 2 years. I love everything there is about being a blogger.

In the beginning, I hesitated to start blogging. I thought of all the scary things that could happen...I was scared that...

I wouldn't have a single reader.

No one would care to view my blog.

Some people would hate my blog.

My friends and family would just judge me, and have conversation pieces against me.

I would be the laughing stock of the bloggy world.

What I learned two years later...

I do have readers...every now and again.

Sometimes people don't care to view my blog, and that's ok! My Pinterest history would say otherwise. I have many viewers everyday! I love that so much.

Honestly, some people do hate my blog...HA, and that's ok too. I mean not everyone loves a bridal/lifestyle/education/everything under the sun type of blog. It won't stop me, because I know there are so many people out there who love my blog. My biggest motivation is the endless emails, and comments of how I have helped a fellow bride in some way or another.

Not all my friends and family have judged me, but some have. I'm more than sure, when I'm not around my blog has been a conversation piece for negativity. It happens, and that's ok too. I know deep down that it doesn't matter, because only god can judge me. Blogging isn't for everyone.

I wouldn't say I'm a laughing stock of any world. HA! I was being dramatic. I honestly think other bloggers are amazing. I've met so many supportive bloggers out there, and have yet to meet a mean one. Bloggers stick together.

Since my blogs opening day, I haven't regretted becoming a blogger for one second. I have had the pleasure of having really cool and fun opportunities because of my blog. So happy 2 year Bloggi-versary to me, and Sleepless!

This year as part of my celebration, I wanted to finally convert my domain name to a .com. From blogspot.com to .com. Last year, I bought the domain name, but never got around to changing it. I plan on making the move really soon, just as soon as Godaddy allows it!! YAY! How exciting. Lastly, I want to say thank you to my readers, my page viewers, my unique page viewers, my sponsors, my affiliate companies (especially Irresistible Me). Thank you for reading, for your support, and above all for making blogging so worth it!!

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Sunday, May 10, 2015

I thought since I had a few minutes to sit down, I'd make a quick blog post to catch up. I hope everyone is in great spirits on this beautiful Sunday.

Here's what's new...

I have been working hard for the last few weeks on a new design for my blog. I wanted something new, simple and modern. I also wanted to tone down all the glitz and glitter a bit. After posting a few blog posts, I noticed that I wasn't really happy with my blog design anymore. I started analyzing what exactly I didn't like. For months, I just ignored how much my blog design bothered me. It was out of date, it was too glittery, too flashy, too messy, etc. Since I didn't have much time to recode and redesign, I held off the redesign. So I am finally happy to tell you that I found the time to redesign!! Sleepless now has a new face! After downloading font, after font, and playing around with every which way I could arrange each font. I finally got it together. I placed all kinds of colors together, and finally came up with keeping it simple. I wanted my favorite colors...period. Black, white, blush, and gold glitter (I couldn't live without some glitter guys...sorry).

Here's a design swatch I was playing around with before implementing my actual design.

Just so you know, I'm very familiar with redesigning tools such as Adobe photoshop, and Adobe Dreamweaver. I've created a few design elements such as social media icons, signatures, signatures with social media icons for a few bloggy friends. I'm great with codes, so if you need anything done, shoot me an email. I'd be happy to help. Everything on my blog has been designed, and coded by me, myself and I :).

What else is new with Sleepless? Well, I'm happy to also inform my readers about how I finally joined Instagram (for real this time). I'm really excited about Instagram, because I feel like it's a more personal type of social media. Which I'm happy to share my personal life with my readers. Follow me on Instagram: @itsjess_inspired

Monday, I celebrated my birthday! No numbers please, but about a week ago my fiance threw me a great surprise party!! All my friends and family attended, and surprised me as I came through my front door. I felt like the only girl in the world!!

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Hey Y'ALL!! Here I go again! Take 3...of first dance songs. This time I have a southern twist! I'm a southern girl. I was born in Texas and lived most of my life in Florida. I like country music as much as the next girl. I just can't live without Country love songs guys. I love everything about them. I think that the amount of feelings, and emotions that go into a Country love song run deep and real. I decided to accumulate a list of the great and classic Country love songs for any first dance. #21 is from one of my favorite shows Nashville, and I'm sorry y'all but I absolutely love that song from Gunner, and Scarlett. My favorite parts of the show, is when they get together and have all that chemistry on stage. If it's not Country enough for you, just skip it. I hope y'all enjoy listening, and find a great song from this list. If y'all have any recommendations comment down below, and let's get listening :) I love hearing from my readers, so don't be shy. Here are 25 country songs I absolutely adore to be a first dance option (In no particular order).

1. Lonestar-Amazed

2. Martina Mc Bride and Bob Seger- Chances Are

3. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill- It's Your Love

4. Garth Brooks- To Make You Feel My Love

Or Trisha Yearwood- To Make You Feel My Love

5. Leighton Meester and Garrett Hedlund- Give In To Me

6. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw- Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me

7. Shania Twain- From This Moment

8. Blake Shelton- God Gave Me You

9. Restless Heart- I'll Still Be Loving You

10. Allison Krauss- When You Say Nothing At All

11. John Michael Montgomery- I Swear

12. Brad Paisley- Then

13. Rascal Flatts- Bless the Broken Road

14. Martina McBride and Jim Brickman- My Valentine

15. Mickey Gilley- Stand By Me

16. Leann Rimes- How Do I Live Without You

17. The Civil Wars- No Ordinary Love

18. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw- I Need You

19. Billy Currington- Must Be Doin' Something Right

20. John Michael Montgomery- I Can Love You Like That

21. Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen- Fade Into You

22. Hunter Hayes- Wanted

23. Deryle Dodd- I Can Love You

24. Kenny Chesley- You Had Me From Hello

25. Keith Urban- Only You Can Love Me This Way

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Today I'm sharing my new hair care tool, the Irresistible Me Sapphire 8 in 1 Complete Curling Wand. This wand has become one of my favorite tools ever!! **Don't forget to check out my instagram video for this product.(and follow)Let me start with the fact that I am always borrowing my sisters' curling iron. I've shopped around from store to store searching through the endless brands and barrel sizes. I once forced myself to Ulta in search of a curling wand. I was forcing myself to buy a curling wand, so I would stop borrowing my sisters.I wasn't sure which size, or what brand but a curling wand would suffice. Well I must have stood in one spot for a very long time with a confused look on my face, because every other minute a sales associate would check up on me. The problem I was having was that I wanted every size; I wanted the good stuff with all the cool features. You know all that hair care talk on the packages: Tourmaline, ions, ceramic, titanium, etc. I never really looked into any of these terms but they all just sound great.I ended up with four different barrel sizes in my hand, and scared at what this would cost me. As I put each one of the curling wands down I reminded myself that I could always borrow my sisters' curler instead of reaching my credit limit. Let's get real, it's too expensive to have all the different kinds of curling wands...but is it really? That's why I'm so excited to make this post, because Irresistible Me has solved that problem by creating an 8 in 1 Curling Wand!! Yes 8 in 1. I could barely believe it myself. This wand has eight interchangeable barrels, which means you can use any barrel you'd like, whenever you want! How amazing is this. I personally haven't seen a curling wand with so many barrels to choose from. Below are a few pictures of how the curler comes when shipped. Note that the box is in perfect condition, because it was safely secured with bubble wrap.

Ok so I absolutely love, love, love that it comes in this roll out carrier. Each barrel has its own pocket, as well as the wand, and the glove. I'm literally like a kid in a candy store! Every day I can't wait to use a different barrel, and start curling. The first time I used the Sapphire curling wand, it was very easy to use. Once you pick a barrel, line it up with the wand, and lock it in. Then plug it in and watch how fast it gets to the temperature you choose. I highly suggest you use the glove that comes with the wand, because the wand can get very hot. It's just like any hot tool, you need to be careful, and the glove has protected me from burns (which makes my fiance happy, I can't tell you how many times I've burned my fingers, arms, and ears...just don't ask). I went right to work, and choose the 19MM barrel, for the first four pictures below. I split my hair into three sections, because I have thick hair. I didn't take small portions of hair, because I didn't want to be curly Sue, so I took medium sized portions, and curled on a 410 temperature. It depends on what kind of hair type you have, so please be careful in choosing which temperature. Like I said before my hair is very thick, so I need a high temperature. Not to mention, my hair loses its curl quick, but luckily I don't have that problem with the Sapphire curling wand.

The next day, I got together with my little sister to show off my Irresistible Me Sapphire 8 in 1 Curling Wand!! I mean, how could I resist. *****************Hair and picture credits for the next 8 pictures to my little sister, Anisa.*************************This time we used Kim Kardashian as inspiration and went with the 25MM barrel. We went with the 410 temperature, and started the curl lower towards the cheek bones. We were having fun doing my hair. Pictures below :)

My before the curls picture, and all that curling greatness thereafter.

Let's talk features shall we? The Sapphire curling wand barrels have Tourmaline, negative ions, and Far Infrared technology. It has a digital temperature display, dual voltage, fast heat up, a 360 degree cord, and is light weight. The max temperature this wand can reach is 230C/450F.

So overall ladies, would I recommend this 8 in 1 curling wand? YES! Absolutely I would. It's easy to use, it heats up fast, the curls last all day, and it doesn't burn your hair. I like that the curler doesn't have one of those clamps that leave that ugly mark on your hair. I also love that the Sapphire has a digital display for the temperature making it easy to pick the right temp.

Lastly, it wouldn't be a product review if I didn't mention a dislike. I only have one dislike, which is that this wand doesn't have a stand for resting. I do my hair in my bathroom, so my counter top is safe. When I tried to do my hair on my dresser, it was a no go. The end of the curler does have a cool tip where it's safe for fingers and probably resting, but it still scares me. That's it, not a deal breaker at all when you compare it to all the pros I've mentioned.

That's it ladies. I love my Sapphire 8 in 1 curling Wand from Irresistible Me. If you are interested in purchasing one for yourself I would click HERE. You guys are in luck because the Sapphire curling wand is on sale right now for $159.20. That's a whole 20% savings on an amazing product. When you click over, you'll also notice a 20% off your first purchase, if you sign up your email as well. Not sure if you can combine, but its definitely worth a try.

Well lovies, I hope you enjoyed this review, and drop me a few lines. I'm here if you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them. **Don't forget to check out my Instagram video for this product, and follow. Til next time :)

*This review is in my own opinion. I received the Sapphire Curling Wand complementary from Irresistible Me for testing purposes.

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Be respectful of other commenters, and blog author - Meeting differences of opinion with civil discussion encourages multiple perspectives and a positive commenting environment.
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We reserve the right to remove comments - Comments that we find to be abusive, spammy, off-topic, or harassing may be removed.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Have you ever heard of a Post-it
wedding before? This type of wedding exists in my favorite T.V. show Grey's
Anatomy. We've been watching this show for years. Watching the characters
evolve, fall in love, get married, become great surgeons, and over all be rock
stars. I recently re-watched all 10 seasons on Netflix, and before you ask me
what kind of time I have, I must tell you that I like to watch already watched
movies and T.V shows as white noise in the background of anything that I am
doing. After watching the infamous Post-it wedding episode, I thought...why not
share the Post-it wedding of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd
(Mc Dreamy). (SPOILER ALERT) Especially since watching this new season, Derek
has been in Washington D.C. working with the President. We miss you
Patrick Dempsey! We really miss you.

Now here's a relationship that has stood the test of time! Derek and Meredith
have been through almost everything together. They believe that their love
means more than a big wedding. From the very first episode, you just knew that
the McDreamy's were meant to be. A pair of surgeons having a one night stand,
after meeting in a bar? To only find out later, this one night stand would not,
could not be put to rest. That moment you saw and realized that Derek was now
the boss of the beautiful one night standing intern. How awkward, how juicy,
how marvelously entertaining.

Their love is truly an inspiring one. Below is the Post-it wedding of Derek and
Meredith. It proves that you can have a wedding that is different, low key, and
special to you and your fiancé.

I feel like I watched the Post-it
wedding episode at a time, I needed to watch it the most. I saw the episode
years ago, but after re-watching it a few days ago, it meant something more to
me this time around. I constantly get the question "When are you guys
getting married?" My response is a nice one such as "We're looking
into it." or "Soon.", etc. What I honestly feel like saying is a
boat load, such as "If we knew when, we'd tell you!" and "I'm
putting my education first, which means the wedding could wait." and "I
rather hear the wedding question, than the kids question. So we're putting off
the wedding, to continue to live in Peter Pan status." Up to Neverland...Away we go!! (LOL) :D

What I
loved about the Post-it wedding, is that it was something special to the
McDreamy's. My fiancé and I go back and forth all the time. Whether we want to
have a big wedding, a middle sized wedding with family and close friends, or if
we just want to do a secluded wedding by ourselves. The Post-it wedding
reminded me that it's about celebrating our union, and love for one another. So CHEERS
to Derek and Meredith and their beautiful Post-it wedding! My hats off to you!
I hope you enjoyed the lovely I do's of Derek and Meredith Shepherd. When in doubt, refer back to simplicity. Everything in moderation.

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